Don't Say It's Too Late Lindsay
by NothatRose
Summary: Danny is doing everything to get Lindsay back. Second in the 'Late' series.


**Author's Note** : Hey,..... I really appreciate the reviews and ideas from** hillfield, webdlfan, LoVe4LiFe07** and **afrozenheart412** to do a sequel to my 'Too Late Danny'. I hope you'll like what I did to Danny in this one. Forgive me if it's less than what you expected. Also forgive me for the spelling and grammar mistakes.

**Disclaimer **: I've checked twice., just in case. Still I do not own CSI NY.

**Summary** : Danny wants Lindsay back. He is doing everything that he can to get her back.

**From Which Episode** : Safe to say before and after the rain walk.

* * *

He left her seventeen text messages within a span of five days. He called her numerous times. He even left messages on her e-mail. Lindsay did not call him back. Mac had said that she had taken some days off. After shift, he had gone to every place that he thought she might be. He sat outside her apartment waiting for her and on two occasions, actually slept outside her door. He even staked out her Uncle Freddy's apartment building.

He had done things that he wished he didn't. It was something that he could not and would never forgive himself for. Because of his stupidity, insensitive and callousness, he now risk losing the one person that he just realized matters to him most. The person who loves him. Despite his background, his reputation and his tough attitude, she had fallen in love with him. Danny Messer was lost when Rueben died. But nothing could compare to the feeling and fear of losing Lindsay Monroe. His concentration for his job was not a hundred percent and Mac had given him looks and signals. He needed Lindsay. He needed his Montana.

Without knocking he walked into Mac's office and blurted out his intention.

"Mac. I need to take a couple days off."

"Danny..." his Boss started to rise from his chair.

"Mac." He sighed with defeat. "Please."

Mac was about to deny his request as they were already short handed and was ready yell at the young CSI who had been on his nerves for the last few days. But at that moment someone's hand phone beeped and Danny thinking that it's his, quickly ripped his phone from his belt to check the caller. His shoulders sagged when he realized that it was not his phone that beeped. Covering his face with his hands, he grunted in frustration and rummaged his already spiky hair.

"Sit down Danny." Mac asked with ease but when he sensed Danny's stubbornness, he said more forcefully. "Danny." Folding his arms across his chest, leaning against his desk and looking down at his rumpled Detective.

"Danny. May I assume that you are going to use that couple of days to fly to Montana?"

Danny only pursed his lips and hang his head.

"She is not there Danny."

"What?!?" He stood up.

"She is not in Montana."

"But where is she? I know she's not here. Where is she Mac?" He went limp and sat down again.

"I don't know either. She won't say."

Danny ripped his glasses off his face and rubbed his eyes. Holding back a sob.

"But she left a number." Seeing Danny looking up at him expectantly. "No. You can't have it."

"Mac.."

"Look. I don't know what happened between you two. All I know is that after that boy died, we don't know who you are anymore. Do you know how many times Lindsay covered for you? She did all she could to help you. We both know how difficult it is for her to handle the death of someone who was close. She admitted that she is not good with these things but she was ready to be there for you. She said it was stupid to have a relationship with a coworker. She was almost in trouble for leaving evidence unattended. In my opinion, you pushing her away is not the only reason that made her that way." Danny was about to interrupt when Mac held up his hand. "No. You don't have to tell me anything. That's between you and Lindsay."

"What do I do Mac?"

"Wait for her to come back and talk."

"She won't even look at me Mac." He groaned.

"Give her time Danny. Till then, I need your focus on the cases that I've given you."

"When will she be back?"

"In a few days."

Danny nodded. He got up to leave and muttered his thanks.

"Danny."

"Yes?"

"It happened didn't it?"

"Is it suppose to hurt like this?"

"With the right one? At times."

"I guess it happened. But I just don't know how to say it."

Mac just gave him a little smile and pat the back of Danny's head. "You'll know."

***

She was back. She had lost weight. She looked smaller than she already was. She laughed when Stella squeezed her and said how much she's missed. She giggled when Adam fidgeted between giving her a hug and a high-five. She grinned widely when Sid thanked her for bringing the sunshine back to the morgue. She replied kindly when Mac and Hawkes welcomed her back. She nodded and shut her eyes tight when Flack squeezed her hand asking if she is alright.

She gave him a small 'Hey'.

***

Mac gave them a case a few days later. They worked like they used to. But none of the easy banter. It was strictly work. After collecting evidence from Sid, Danny chased Lindsay as she hurried off.

"Linds. Could we have that talk now?"

"We are still on the clock Danny." She sounded annoyed.

"Alright. When. Tell me when."

She tilted her head and gave him a blank look. "I don't know."

***

He caught her just as she was leaving the locker room. He had not seen her in days, as Mac had put them on different cases.

"Hey, the guys are coming over to watch some movies at my place. You wanna join us?"

"No." She stopped at the door.

"Lindsay. Please. We don't have to talk if you don't want to."

"I don't know. It's too hard." Taking a deep breath, her hand on the door knob.

"No 'Jaws'. How about that?" He tried to lighten the mood.

"I'll call you." And she left him standing alone.

***

Stella was walking towards the lift when Danny walked pass her. He gave her a nod and turned away his face quickly. Stella did a double take and reached her hand out to grab his sleeve. Taking a step back, she turned his face towards her.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"Walked into a door." He quipped. "Look Stell..I gotta go."

Flack came out of the lift just as Danny disappeared into his office.

"Hey Stell!"

"You know anything about Danny's face?"

"Ah! That!" The Detective started to rub his right knuckles.

"Flack!?!"

"What? We were out and he was acting like an ass. I couldn't find a switch." He replied with a quick lift of his eyebrow and a shrug of his shoulders.

"That have to hurt. I better get some ice."

"Nah! He'll be fine."

"I'm not talking about Danny."

***

Danny was looking for his spare glasses when found the tickets that Lindsay and him had bought for a basketball game. It's scheduled for tomorrow night. Without thinking he got up and looked for her in the lab. He found her in the break room.

"Hey."

"Hey." She toyed with her food.

"Remember those tickets we bought for the game? It's on tomorrow night." He sat beside her.

"I'll be working."

"Linds?"

"Danny, look. I....I...Shouldn't there be someone else who you rather spend time with?" She jabbed her fork in her food.

"What do you mean?"

"Do I have to tell you?" She hissed.

"I.."

"Know what? I don't want to know any more." She packed up her food, threw it in the bin and left him.

***

Just as their shift ended, it began to rain. Danny offered her a lift home, all the while knowing that Lindsay would most likely decline his offer. He was right. She made some excuse about needing some things from the store. Two hours later, he called her home but there was no answer. He tried her hand phone. She told him that she was taking a rain walk. In not so many words he told her how sorry he was and that he missed her. He had invited her over. Pleaded, in fact. That was two hours ago. Unsatisfied, he called her again.

"Yes Danny." There was still sound of rain in the background.

"Are you still taking your rain walk?"

"I guess. The train station is closed and there are no taxis is sight."

"Linds. Please. No taxis, alright?"

"Why?"

"You know why. We are still working the case."

"Oh. Yeah. The case." She said quietly.

"Lindsay...... Look its not just about the case a'right? I just don't want you getting hurt or.."

"Or what Danny?"

"I just .. I don't ...Look. Where are you? Let me come and get you."

"There's no need. I'm about two blocks from my place. Anyway, its raining really heavy. I don't want you on your bike."

"Lindsay.."

"I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Yeah. Call me when you get home."

He waited. She did not call.

***

Danny carried a baseball bat in his hand. Grasping the old battered bat, he made his way to the office that he shares with Lindsay. His Montana. Only now, he wasn't sure if he still has the right to call her that anymore. Or even to call her his.

He had hurt her. Ever since he pushed her away, she only smiled at his jokes. Her clever repartee never come anymore. She worked alongside him but there was always a table or a distance between them. She never invade his personal space anymore. She listened to his side of theory for each case, she gave her own but she never made eye contact. Something was missing. And he missed that something very much. He missed her.

She was sitting at her desk. Looking down at some paper work. To any untrained eye, she's working but Danny knew better. Pulling his chair to sit beside her, he positioned his right leg behind her chair and his left foot under it. That way she can't push her chair back and leave him before he could finish what he had to say. Taking the report from in front of her, he replaced it with the baseball bat.

"Lindsay, I screwed up. A lot. And I know I've hurt you these past few months. But I want to be with you Lindsay. I need you. It scares me whenever I lose someone. I don't ever want it to be you. I didn't mean to push you away. I just got scared.

"I keep losing people around me, Linds. I was afraid I'd lose you too. I figured I'd better push you away before that happens. But I can't do it. I can't. I can't see you hurt. I rather die than hurt you. I was hurting with Rueben's death, but I realized that I was hurting you more. And I don't ever want to do that. Never again. I don't want to lose you Mon..." He saw her closed her eyes tight at her nickname.

"You know, we've been thru a lot together but I'm still not good at saying sorry or saying how I feel about you even when I'm going crazy with those feelings for you. I more than care about you, okay? I'll do anything for you. And if fate has it that we go separate ways, I rather spent all or whatever time, I now have with you. I want you with me. Be with me Lindsay. I need you. Please."

"Danny.."

"Lindsay," he moved closer and urgently interrupted her. Whispering his plea. "Linds. Please. Please don't say it's too late."

She moved her hand to finger the bat. "Danny, is this an offer to beat you up?"

"It's my old bat. I'm offering you to share what memories I have with this bat. I want to include you in those. I want to share new experiences with you with this bat. Even if you beat the living daylights out of me for doing what I did to you with it, I'll take that. I want you to be part of it. Part of me."

"How can I know that you won't go back there? How can I know there's nothing between you...?" She placed her clenched hands on her lap.

"I won't. I swear I won't. There's nothing between me and her. Nothing Linds. Please believe me. I really want to be with you. No one else. I need you Linds."

"I still love you Danny. I can't stop that. I tried. But I can't." Her voice quivered.

"Linds.."

"I understand how circumstances make people do things. But I am not ready to forgive you for what you did, yet. Honestly, it still hurts Danny. It hurts so bad." She started crying.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Linds." He whispered. He squeezed her arm and rested his head on her shoulder. Willing to stop his own tears. "Please don't cry Linds."

"You hurt me Danny."

Danny cradled her head to rest her temple on his forehead. "I know Babe, I know." He whispered in her ear. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry Sweetheart I'm sorry."

They sat in that position till she stopped crying and moved slightly away from him. His left hand still held on to her arm. Not willing to let her go.

"Where do we go from here?" She asked quietly.

"I don't want to give up on us. We've come so far. I'll take it slow. I'll wait for you, again. I'll do whatever it takes to earn your trust back." He whispered his promise.

"We might not be the same as we were." She sniffed.

"I'll take that chance. Let's give us a chance. Please?" He placed his forehead on her shoulder again.

Lindsay did not reply. She did not move for long minutes. Then, slowly, she removed his left hand that was on her arm.

Danny lifted his head off her shoulders. He tensed, fearing to guess what her action meant.

Lindsay then placed his left hand in hers. Wrapping her small hand over his big fist, she tapped them together on her lap and leaned over to lay her head on his chest.

THE END.

* * *

You know, I am happy Dalinds fan. I can't let them have pain all the way. It makes me sad. What say you we have another part of them getting better with each other?


End file.
